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2011 Lexus LX 570: Review notes: Big on luxury and size, not so much on value

November 13, 2011

1 of 52011 Lexus LX 570

Photo by David Arnouts

2 of 52011 Lexus LX 570

Photo by David Arnouts

3 of 52011 Lexus LX 570

Photo by David Arnouts

4 of 52011 Lexus LX 570

Photo by David Arnouts

5 of 52011 Lexus LX 570

Photo by David Arnouts

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: Good grief--$87,000 for this 2011 Lexus LX 570? Seriously? Not a chance, not for me anyway.

I get that it's essentially the iconic Toyota Land Cruiser, birthed in the 1950s and a global best seller and blah-de-blah. I'm just not in love with the way it drives which is, you know, kind of important. The ride is rough, thumping over road imperfections that our long-term Jeep Grand Cherokee takes for granted. There's an overall too-heavy feel to the way the truck drives. It's wallowy and has a lot of body roll in corners. Steering that feels vague, overboosted and unconnected doesn't help at all.

The powertrain is as smooth as there is in the biz, I'll give it that. The truck probably kicks butt off-road, too. The interior is all leather and wood, and the build quality is up with the best.

Overall though, for this kind of money, I'd look elsewhere.

COPY EDITOR CYNTHIA L. OROSCO-WRIGHT: As soon as I saw this truck, it reminded me of our long-term Infiniti QX56. And after getting in and driving home, I wished I had been driving the QX.

First off, I couldn't get the seat into a comfortable position, which left me in a semireclined position and feeling as if I was sitting on top of the truck instead of inside it. Then, there was lots of pedal travel when braking. Yes, I know there is some travel when braking the QX56, but not nearly as much as in the LX 570. But, yes, in both vehicles, you need to plan ahead for stopping these massive utes.

Also, the drive wasn't smooth, even over not-so-crappy stretches of road. And, the ute felt top-heavy around curves. You also feel the weight of this truck at the wheel.

Yes, the interior was well done with nice materials and lots of room to carry probably anything you'd want. The same is true for the Infiniti ute, though. But after just an overnight with this Lexus, I'd still take our QX56 every day. I like its shape, ride and style much more than that of the Lexus--and, more importantly, I would save nearly $15,000!

DIGITAL EDITOR ANDREW STOY: Hard as it is, ignore the price of our 2011 Lexus LX 570 land tank for a moment. Let's set that nearly $90,000 sticker aside and look at the relative merits of the LX 570.

There are a few: First, and in the minds of some foremost, this is an attractive truck to me. It's far better looking than our bulbous Infiniti QX56 long-termer. Second, as Wes points out, the powertrain is excellent, never straining to move the LX effortlessly onto the freeway, especially when the PWR mode on the ECT is selected.

You can also put the ECT in second, or toggle the switch that has a graphic of the LX and two arrows, because I think it does something. Then there's the cluster of six buttons to the left of the steering wheel. Some control mirrors, some don't. But hell, you paid $90,000, so there'd damn sure better be a button for everything.

There is: In fact, the LX 570 has more random buttons scattered across more interior real estate than anything I've ever driven. It's as if, rather than update the interior ergonomics as new technologies came to market, Lexus engineers just stuck a button to control it wherever there was remaining space. It's the anti-iDrive: Rather than find an elegant way to control various features, just give everything its own button!

Fortunately, the LX 570 has plenty of real estate in which to install buttons, though much of it is also wallpapered with stickers explaining how to use various features. For example, the side-folding third-row seats: Ironically, they're remarkably easy to use, requiring just a push on a button that's fortunately been relegated to the wilderness of the cargo area, thus unlikely to be mistaken for anything else. But Lexus still provides a 4x6 sticker explaining everything about the rear seating except for why it takes up so much cargo space when folded, unlike an efficient and modern in-floor seating stowage system.

The LX 570 wears quite a bit of lipstick, but underneath it is what it is: old. I have no doubt that some folks will pay the entry fee, but there are always those destined to be soon parted from their cash.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR BOB GRITZINGER: If you want to spend your money on big luxury utes with pedigree, your choices are slim: the Land Rover Range Rover, the Infiniti QX56 and this LX570 (luxury kin of the venerable Toyota Land Cruiser). All are far more capable off road than almost anyone really needs, with all of that running gear translating into a less-than-optimum ride quality. That's where the Rover is the better choice, thanks to its smoother and steadier highway ride.

To get anywhere near the same steering response and ride control in the Lexus you have to engage Sport mode, but that comes at the expense of ride comfort. At least you have the options, though, along with myriad other selectors, switches, touch-screen buttons and the usual cockpit switchgear to control virtually every aspect of the vehicle. Oddly, I find no pedal adjustment, which seems in order especially considering the long brake-pedal travel and high resting position that comes standard. And maybe I'm going deaf, but this Mark Levinson audio system just doesn't have the kind of punch I want to fill this big cavern with sound.

Though I don't find Infiniti's big QX or this Lexus particularly stylish--what can you do with a big box, anyway?--the LX interior is plush and comfortable. I didn't really experience any seat-adjustment problems, other than the aforementioned brake-pedal location. For instance, just when I wanted a little more inboard elbow support, I slid the center console armrest forward right into perfect position.

The LX is a strong runner; there's plenty of smooth poke under the hood to get this big boy rolling. I can only imagine that it'd be a beast in low-gear off-road operation--but who's risking this sheetmetal on trees and rocks? The active cruise control is more on point and works well to keep a tight gap, but shuts down at about 20 mph, making it a poor substitute for the really good systems in the marketplace.

Personally, I'd recommend a fully equipped Chevrolet Suburban or Ford Expedition for someone in need of a huge ute and all of the bells and whistles, or a Cadillac Escalade or Lincoln Navigator if the luxury siren calls. But for some with the money to spend, I suppose, there's no substitute for the highest end of luxury badges. In that case, if you're not a Range Rover type, the LX might be up to your standards. But don't buy it until you figure out whether you can get all that for less in an Infiniti QX.

Wes Raynal
- Wes Raynal joined Crain Communications’ circulation department while still in college. When he graduated in 1986, he became a reporter for Autoweek sister publication Automotive News. He has worked as Autoweek’s associate editor, news editor, motorsports editor and executive editor before being named editor in 2009.
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